Little Green Monster
by Peeper Stockwell
Summary: Scott and Logan go to investegate a ship that fell near the school and find a friend. IS he a friend or foe? And how long is this alien going to stay with them?
1. Chapter 1

Scott was peering out from the porch of the school and was startled to hear a deep voice behind him.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Scotty-boy?" came Wolverine's voice.

Without turning to face the other mutant, Scott kept his eyes on the sky. "Something just came down from the sky, Logan. It didn't look right; I'm going to go check it out."

Logan moved closer and put a firm hand on his shoulders.  
"You don't want to go alone, Scotty-boy. I'll go wit' ya."

Scott shook his head. "No, Logan. I'm the leader; I'm putting you in charge if anything happens to me."

"No way. We're goin' together," Logan said, his voice firm.

Scott sighed, knowing that Logan would not back down or take no for an answer. "Okay, okay. But stay back."

"Ya don't have ta tell me how ta do my job," Logan growled.

"Let's not fight each other, all right? Let's just go check out the comet."

"_If _it's a comet," Logan muttered under his breath as they headed for the area.

~oOo~

They could see the smoke coming from the hole that the spaceship had made in its unexpected landing, and the two friends made their way carefully toward it. As Scott got closer to the ship, Logan stretched out his right hand. "Careful; we don't know what's inside."

"I am, I am," Scott said, his voice showing some annoyance.

Suddenly the door opened on its own, and it was quite bright inside as the two mutants cautiously entered. Scott looked Logan. "See? Nothing jumping out at us."

"Oh, yeah?" Logan said and pointed to a figure behind his friend, who turned around.

"What the hell?" Scott blurted.

What stood in front of them was a three-foot-tall, green-skinned alien, who looked up at them with questioning yellow eyes.

The two men exchanged a puzzled look. How were they going to handle this one? Should they take "it" to the school, or what?

"I don't know, Scotty-boy. You think we should take 'im in?"

Scott shrugged. "I don't know, either. What if he's dangerous?"

Logan sighed. "Well, he _looks_ harmless enough," he said, as the alien grabbed hold of his left leg.

"Looks like he's attached himself to you, Logan; maybe it'd better if you took him." Scott grinned at the mere thought of Wolverine taking care of the alien.

"Oh, terrific," Logan groaned and followed Scott, a green alien hanging onto his leg for dear life.

~oOo~

It was a good thing it was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep; the last thing they needed was a crowd scene to throw the already frightened alien into a full-blown panic. Logan hoisted the little guy into his arms as Scott opened the door. Once they were inside, the alien's yellow eyes went wide, and he began jabbering, pointing from one thing to another with obvious curiosity. Logan clamped a hand over his mouth, and they made their now-silent way through the halls until Scott halted in front of Logan's room. The Wolverine glared at him, but waited until they were inside to protest. "Why my room?" he demanded, setting his burden down on the bed.

"_Wagaknee choopa?"_ the obvious question cut off any reply.

"What did he say?" Scott asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Logan shot back, then sighed. "We're gonna hafta teach 'im English."

Scott held up his hands, palm out, as if shielding himself. "Oh, no. Not 'us.' _You."_

"Why me, fer cryin' out loud?"

"He likes you, Logan, or hadn't you noticed?"

Logan growled deep in his throat, then said, "Well, we can't just keep callin' 'im 'alien,' an' I'm fresh outta names. Any ideas?"

"Oh, I don't know; he looks like a 'Logan" to me," Scott teased.

"Quit it, will ya? I'm serious here."

"Well, then, how about 'Jake'?"

"Why 'Jake'?"

"It was my grandfather's name, and I've always kinda liked it," Scott shrugged.

Logan shrugged back. "Okay; Jake it is. Whatcha think, little guy? Ya like that name?" On sudden inspiration, he pointed at him and said, "Jake?"

He surprised them both by changing into something that very closely resembled a monkey, a little green monkey that jumped into Logan's arms and chattered in its own language, nodding vigorously.

Scott chuckled and headed for the door.

"Hey! Where do ya think you're goin'?" Logan demanded.

"Face it, Wolfie; you're stuck with him," Scott grinned wickedly and slipped out the door before Logan could object any further.


	2. Chapter 2

Scott was glad he couldn't see Logan's glare from the other side of the door, but he could feel it. He grinned as he walked away. _Good; give the loner someone to look after, he thought_

Logan seethed as he leaned back against the door. _Scott, you're dead meat,_ he snarled inwardly.

A little tug on his sleeve brought Logan's gaze down to Jake. He was in his own form again; sighing, he put the little guy back on the bed.

Now that he had the chance, he was going to look him over. He touched the skin and was surprised at how smooth it was; he'd expected it to be rough like grass or something. The hands were small and had only two digits; one looked like a finger, and the other might have been a thumb. The feet were larger than those of humans.

Suddenly, he felt small hands on his face and he looked at Jake's face. Their eyes locked; Logan found that he couldn't move his eyes away. He couldn't move. Then there was a burning sensation in his head, and he cried out, which made Jake pull away.

After catching his breath, Logan said, "What the hell was that?"

_"Wyumtka sithma,"_ Jake shrugged.

"Sorry. Don't understand ya." Logan got up to stretch. He didn't know what Jake had just done to him, but it had nearly drained him. He massaged his neck as he gazed at the little guy. He and Scott were going have a heck of a time trying to get Jake ready to meet Xavier. They had a long way to go, and he knew just the people to help them: Rogue and Jeanne.

He suddenly realized that he _knew_ things about Jake that he hadn't known before. He was just a kid, maybe the equivalent of about twelve or thirteen, and wasn't really experienced at…mind reading, he realized. And his inexperience explained the burning sensation.

He yawned as he ran a hand through his hair. Sleep, that was what he needed…what they _both_ needed, he amended. Having a second person around was going to take getting used to. Now how was he going to get the kid to understand what he was trying to say? He shrugged and tried patting the bed. ."Sleep," he said slowly, tilting his head to the side onto folded hands and closing his eyes.

"Ahhhh! _Conticga!"_ Jake said in understanding; apparently the gesture Logan had used was _universal,_ in the most literal sense of the word.

Logan climbed into bed and turned towards the wall, half-expecting Jake to climb in after him, but he fell asleep so quickly he never noticed when---or even _if_---he did.

oOo

The next morning, Scott decided to go see Rogue and Jeanne, without consulting Logan. He smiled as he knocked on Jeanne's door; he certainly didn't mind seeing her in the morning.

"Who is it?" came her rich voice.

"Take a wild guess," he teased.

She opened the door and greeted him with a kiss as she pulled him into her room. She leaned to kiss him some more, but he pulled away. He _wanted_ to kiss her, honest he did, but he was there on business.

"Jeanne, I need to ask you something," he gulped, unable to take his eyes off her brown ones. Her hand reached down to his, and he gulped again. _Damn it, Scott, get it together!_ he told himself. "Jeanne, I need you and Rogue to help Logan and me, uhhhhh…" He hesitated. She was _so_ not going to believe this. "…with an alien."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "An _alien,_ Scott? Are you _serious?"_

Scott sighed. "Of course I am. Would I be telling you this if I weren't? Logan and I found him last night when we thought we were looking for a meteorite."

"So, what is he? A little green Martian?" Jeanne asked, laughter in her voice.

"Well, he _is _green. Not sure about the Martian part, though. He's also three feet tall, and Logan seems to think he's just a kid."

"A green kid?" Jeanne laughed, but her laughter trailed off when she looked into the eyes of her fiancé and saw that he really _was_ serious.

"Jeanne, we need your help," he said. "Yours and Rogue's. We…don't really know how to handle a kid," Scott admitted.

"You handle Kitty and Bobby just fine. Why is this kid so different?"

Scott sighed. "Because he is, Jeanne. Just wait 'til you meet him. He doesn't speak English, and, as far as we know, he doesn't have manners---or at least, not any that _we_ recognize."

"That _does _sound like something you and Logan couldn't handle," Jeanne grinned.

"Hey, I'm not sure I like the sound of that!"

Jeanne smiled at him and put a caressing hand on his cheek. "Don't you worry, Scott. Rogue and I will have him ship-shape in no time."

Scott chuckled at her choice of words, wondering if he should warn her that Jake _was_ a shape shifter. _Nahhhhh, let 'em find out for themselves, _he thought as he turned to leave. "Oh, by the way," he added, "Logan and I call him 'Jake." With that, he left and went to ask Logan how the first night had gone.

oOo

Logan awoke with a start, immediately realizing that it was later than he had planned to get up. He spat out an oath as he reached for the silent alarm clock. "Why didn't the alarm wake---_Yaaaaahh!"_ Sitting up, he suddenly found his nose a mere fraction of an inch away from Jake's face, which was upside down. Recovering from his startlement, he looked up and found that Jake was hanging from the ceiling, though, for the life of him, Logan couldn't see how he was staying up there. It was as if his feet were glued to the plaster. His eyes were closed and arms crossed over his chest.

_Almost like a freakin' bat,_ Logan thought. "Jake!" he snapped, just loudly enough to wake the alien. The yellow eyes popped open, and Jake detached himself from the ceiling, looking at Logan in a way that let the Wolverine know his shout had startled the alien. Logan bent down so that his eyes met Jake's and smiled. "I'm sorry, Jake. I didn't mean to yell."

_"Whictna botooga?"_

"I'm okay, if that's what yer askin'. We need a shower," Logan sighed.

oOo

"You did _what?!"_ Logan seethed, not believing what Scott had just told him.

"Hey, I wasn't sure if you were gonna be awake or not. Thought I'd save you the trip."

Logan crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows. Luckily, Jake was still in the bathroom showering. It had taken Logan quite a while to show Jake how to work the shower and the toilet. "More like wanting to see Jeanne," he grinned wickedly.

"Give me a break," Scott sighed and sat on Logan's bed.

"Okay...which leg?"

"You look tired, Logan. Get any sleep last night?" Scott teased, ignoring his jibe.

"Shut up, will ya?" Logan groaned as Scott chuckled.

Finally, Jake came out and smiled when he saw Scott. _"Itchna!"_ Jake shouted and gave Scott a big hug.

"Looks like he's glad to see ya, Scotty-boy." Logan grinned.

"Nice. Look, Jeanne said she'd be happy to help us with Jake, and she thought Rogue would, too. We just gotta find him some clothes his size."

"Terrific; that shouldn't be too hard."

Logan called Kitty; she answered with a tired voice, and he grinned. "Mornin', Kitty. Do you have anything to fit a three-foot-tall guy?"

"Three feet?"

"Yep."

"I'll see if I can find anything. How soon do you need it?"

"As soon as you can, Kitt."

"I'll check, Logan."

"Thanks, sweetie." Logan hung up. "Well, we got Kitty to help with the clothing for Jake. In the meantime, he's just gonna have to wear what he's got."

The phone rang again; the feral answered and heard Ororo's voice on the other end. "Logan, Xavier wants you and Scott in his office now."

"Right. We've got to do something before that, but it'll only take a few minutes."

"Got it. But hurry."

Logan hung up and looked over at Scott. "We're needed at Xavier's office, pronto."

"Well, there's no time like the present to take Jake to Rogue and Jeanne," Scott sighed.

Jake followed his Earth friends down the hall. Logan and Scott entered a room, and the young alien followed.

_"What _is _that?"_ Jeanne asked when she saw Jake.

"Jeanne, this is Jake," Scott told her.

"Oh, he's sooo cute!" Rogue cried out. She reached to Jake but stopped when she remembered that she couldn't touch him.

Jake looked over at the two women; he then pointed at them and asked Logan, _"Oppatigo inchamemak?"_

Scott chuckled once he figured it out; a moment later, so did Logan.

"What did he want to know?" Rogue asked.

"He wanted to know about your breasts!" Scott choked through his laughter, to the teen's embarrassment. Then he spotted Jake reaching toward Jeanne's chest and pushed his hand away. "No one touches those but me," he warned the alien, his voice firm.

Jake turned puzzled eyes to Logan, who pushed his still-raised arm down. "Never mind," he said.

The shape-shifter kept his arms down, though his eyes kept straying to the women in a way that said that he somehow understood that there was a human taboo involved here.

"We're going to go see what the Professor wanted, but we'll be back once we're done there," Scott told the women.

"Sounds good. We'll most likely be in my room," Jeanne replied.

Logan looked Jake. "Listen, Scott and I are leaving, but we'll be back. You stay here." He pointed to Jake and then at the bench.

He might not have understood the words, but the gesture was clear enough; Jake sat down.

oOo

They found the professor behind his desk with his back to them as he gazed out the window.

"Professor?" Logan said as they entered the office and closed the door.

Xavier turned toward them and motioned them to sit down. "I need you to go and investigate a spaceship that has landed near here," he said without preamble.

The two men looked at each other, then back at Xavier. "Uh, we already know about it," Scott said. When the professor raised his eyebrows, he went on, "Logan and I saw it come in last night; we thought it was a meteorite and went to check it out."

"And…?"

Scott looked at Logan; the Wolverine got to his feet. "Easier to show you. If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back." At Xavier's nod, he left, to return a few minutes later. "Professor, I'd like you to meet Jake." He turned, expecting to find the alien behind him, but there was no sign of him. With a sigh, he looked behind the door, where he found a green dog. "Come on," he said, crooking a finger at him.

Staying close to Logan, Jake followed him into the office, where his yellow eyes looked up at the man in the wheelchair.

"This is Jake," Logan tried the introduction again. "We found him in the spaceship and brought him here."

Xavier looked over at Logan and Scott. Jake stood between them and was pressed tightly against Logan.

Xavier wheeled to Jake, who nervously tried to move even closer to Logan, who looked down at him and grinned. "It's all right, Jake. He's a friend," he told the alien, though he knew Jake couldn't really understand him yet.

"Have you noticed any special talents since you've had him here?" Charles Xavier asked the two men.

Scott nodded. "Yes, sir. He's a shape-shifter. "This isn't his real appearance; he's actually humanoid. Logan, can you tell him to shift back?"

"Okay, kid; change back," Logan said, taking hold of the "dog's" front paws and lifting so that it stood on its hind legs. Apparently Jake got the idea; a second later, there was a small green humanoid where the dog had been. "He can also mind-meld," he added to Xavier.

Scott looked at him. "You didn't tell me about that."

"It wasn't very pleasant, either."

Xavier looked into the big yellow eyes and smiled. "Since he can mind-meld, perhaps I can mind-meld with him."

Logan cleared his throat. "With all due respect, sir, I don't think you should try it," he said. "I think it's a new ability for him; he doesn't seem to be all that used to using it yet. "

"I appreciate the concern, Logan. But, if I can read his mind, perhaps he can tell me why he's here."

"Suit yerself," Logan shrugged and stepped to stand beside Scott.

Xavier went to Jake and put his hands on the alien's head. At first, Jake tried to resist. _Let me in,_ Xavier sent his thought. _We're here to help you._

Logan and Scott watched as Jake calmed down and Xavier continued to mind-meld with him. After a few moments, Xavier finally let go of Jake's head, blinked, and looked over at the two men.

"What you find out, Professor?" Scott asked.

Xavier actually _grinned. _"You're both going to laugh at this," he said.

"Why?" Logan wanted to know.

"Jake came here by accident. He was running away from home after an argument with his parents."

"He _what?"_ Scott choked on the predicted laughter.

"You gotta be kiddin' me," Logan gasped through his own mirth.

"He was going to go back home when the engine began to malfunction, and he didn't know what to do. This was the closest planet he could land on."

"Well, ain't that a kick in the butt," Logan said.

"That's putting it mildly," Scott muttered.

"There's more," Xavier silenced them.

"Thought there might be," Scott sighed.

"I tried to see why he couldn't get back home, besides the fact his engine wasn't working. He couldn't tell me, but he did say that there was danger brewing on his planet and he was afraid to go back there."

"So, I take it he's stuck here 'til further notice," Logan concluded.

Xavier nodded. "Seems so. We need to keep him safe until his family comes for him"

"Maybe they won't," Logan said under his breath, secretly hoping.

Scott looked over at his friend, a little surprised. Had the little alien wormed his way into the feral's heart that quickly? "Maybe they will," he finally said, which earned him a scowl from Logan.

"In any case, Jake is here with us, and, as I said, we need to keep him safe. And I can't think of any two that I'd rather have do it."

"Gee, thanks, Professor," Logan groaned, and Scott nudged him in the ribs.

After the meeting, Logan and Scott took Jake back to Jeanne and Rogue. The women were still planning the next day's lesson schedule for Jake.

"Well, we learned why Jake's here," Scott announced as he went over and gave Jeanne a kiss.

"Why?" Rogue asked, looking over at Logan.

"Parent problems," Logan grinned.

Rogue tried hard not to laugh as she watched Jake trying to read the word 'cat' from the flash-card.

"Wonder what over," Jeanne said, her eyes going over to the alien as well. "He doesn't seem like the type to fight."

It was Scott's turn to grin. "Once he learns enough English, maybe he'll tell us."

"Yeah. I've got a ton of questions for 'im," Logan muttered.

oOo

Jake turned out to be a very fast learner. In only a few days, he mastered the language quite well. The two men, with the help of Bobby and Kitty, also taught Jake a few games, including chess, backgammon, and Hangman. Jake was a little nervous about Hangman, not liking the name of the game.

oOo

Logan looked over at Scott while Jake was in the shower. "I think it's time he saw the rest of the school. He's been here long enough so that people are familiar with him now."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, I agree. I won't mind showing him around."

Logan grinned. "Thought you might feel that way. I'll help Jeanne and Rogue with the rest of their teaching."

"Right. We shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Okay." When Jake came out of the bathroom, Scott took him by the hand. "C'mon, Jake. I'm taking you on a tour."

Logan smiled as he watched him take the alien out of the room.

oOo

Scott and Jake walked around the campus, and Scott introduced him to some of the students that were close to his age.

About an hour later, Jake looked up at Scott and rubbed his stomach. "Hungry," he said.

Scott looked at his watch and groaned. "You're right; it's getting late, and I told Logan I'd have you back by now."

They went back to the building and walked down the hallway. Suddenly, a man's voice came from behind them: "Step away from the alien and you won't get hurt."

Scott whirled around to face three tall men in black suits. One of them had a bow and arrow and was aiming at Jake.

_"No!"_ Scott cried and leaped in front of Jake, taking the arrow that was meant for the boy. With a groan, he fell to the floor as the intruders ran out of the building.

Jake dropped to his knees alongside his human friend. "Scott!" he cried.

"Hurts," Scott moaned.

"I get Logan!" Jake jumped up to his feet and ran for Logan and the girls. He found the three looking at something on the table. "Logan! Scott! Logan! _Scott!"_ he cried out.

oOo

Logan turned when he heard Jake's frightened voice from the doorway.

"Where's Scott, Jake? Where is he?"

All Jake could do was point down the hallway.

"Logan?" Jeanne asked, worried.

"Don't worry; I'll get 'im." Logan ran down the hallway and it wasn't long before he found Scott lying in a pool of blood. He dropped to his knees to examine his friend.

"Jake..." Scott moaned once he felt Logan's hand.

"He's okay, Scott. We gotta get ya to the infirmary."

"Hurts to move."

It's okay; I gotcha," Logan said as he carefully hoisted Scott in his arms.

Storm was waiting for them in the infirmary, having been informed by Jeanne Scott might be injured.

"What happened?" she asked as Logan walked in carrying him.

"Someone came in looking for Jake. I guess they were aimin' fer Jake, and Scott took the arrow," Logan said as he laid Scott gently on the exam table.

"The arrow is all the way through his shoulder. I'm going to have to call Hank for this," Storm said and left him alone in the room with Scott.

Scott came to. "Logan?" he breathed.

"Yeah, Scotty-boy; I'm here."

"Jake? Is he okay?"

"He's fine; he's with Rogue and Jeanne."

"Good. We need to…protect him..." Scott moaned in pain as he tried to move.

"Don't. Ya don't know how bad it is."

"I can't stay here..."

"Ya got to, Scott. Storm's callin' the doc right now."

oOo

When it was over, Jeanne came in with Rogue and Jake. When Jake came close to the unconscious Cyclops, he ran his hand over his face. "He be all right?" he asked quietly.

Storm smiled at the small alien. "He'll be fine. He'll need a lot of rest, but he'll make it."

Logan put a firm hand on Jake's shoulder. "He's a tough ol' bird, Jake. Scott'll be back on 'is feet in no time."

oOo

Some time later, Scott woke up, turned his head, and found Logan asleep on the chair by his bed. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

His voice woke Logan. "Ya got an arrow through your shoulder. Don't ya remember?"

Only then did Scott notice the pain in his left shoulder. "Oh, yeah. Jake, is he..?"

Logan nodded. "He's fine; he's with Rogue and Jeanne. He's real worried about ya, though. Jake doesn't understand anything that's going on, and with him not knowing that much English…well, you get the picture."

Scott nodded, though the movement was a little painful. "Yeah, I do. I just don't understand why those suits were here and why they wanted Jake. And how the hell did they know Jake was here?"

"Could someone have found his ship? Or maybe it came up on someone's radar?" Logan questioned.

"That's possible. We certainly couldn't have been the only ones to see the ship fall." Scott closed his eyes.

"You okay, Scott?" Logan asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little pain," Scott sighed.

"Need somethin for it?"

Scott shook his head. "Nah. I'll be fine. Just tired of being here, ya know?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah, I know. But, ya gotta get better before Xavier will let ya go on any missions or anything. 'Course," Logan smiled, "you _can_ help Jake with his learnin'."

Scott sighed. "Oh, yeah..._that _sounds like fun."

oOo

A few days later, Hank came to check on Scott. The doctor seemed pleased with Scott's recovery. "I do believe you can now leave this infirmary," Hank told him and Logan.

"Yes!" Scott said, doing a high five with Logan, but wincing as he did so.

Hank held up a finger. "But, I regret to tell you that I am putting you on restrictions."

Scott groaned as he sat up. It felt good to sit up. But restrictions? He didn't like the sound of that at all.

"You are not to go fighting for a while yet. Not until you are stronger."

"Oh, great. Now I'm stuck in this ol' house, too."

Logan smiled at his friend. "Look at it this way, pal: you can spend quality time with Jake."


	3. Chapter 3

Scott was restless for the next few days; the confinement and inactivity were killing him. So, as Logan had suggested, he and Jake did some bonding. He showed Jake the vehicles and even allowed him to sit on his bike—which was very rare, since he didn't like to let anyone else touch his bike

A few days later, Hank returned to check his recovery; when he was done, he smiled.

"Does that smile mean I'm in the clear?" Scott asked, hope in his voice.

"Not yet."

"Oh, come on! I haven't done _anything _in the last couple of days. C'mon, Hank, give me a break here. I'm going nuts!"

"I can understand that fully, Scott. But I'm a little concerned about those stitches. I cannot remove them yet."

Scott sighed. Another few days in this madhouse.

Hank's beeper went off. "Pardon me, Scott, but I am on call." With that, he left a very aggravated Cyclops.

"Damn it!" Scott spat as he got out of bed. He'd thought he'd been doing well.

He walked down to Jeanne's room. She was looking over the sheets of words she and Rogue had made for Jake. "More words for Jake?" he asked when she let him in.

She kissed him on the cheek. "How observant"

Scott made a face at her. "Cute. I think you and Rogue are making him into a walking dictionary." They sat down on the couch and Scott put his good arm around her.

"Well, he can never know too many words. Besides, if he does go back to his home planet, he may want to teach his own people English."

"Shhhhhh, don't let Logan hear you say that," Scott grinned. "He doesn't even want to _think_ about Jake going back home."

Jeanne smiled; then her eyes went to his shoulder. "How's the shoulder?" she asked.

Scott gave a long-suffering sigh. "Hank won't give me the clear yet. He's worried about the stitches."

"Scott, he only wants to do what's best for you; you know that."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just anxious to be out there. I don't like being a sitting bull!"

oOo

Jeanne went to Magneto's building, flung the doors open, and stormed in. When people saw her, they didn't bother her or try to stop her. She knew exactly where his office was, and she went right to it. She didn't bother the secretary, but walked right in.

"Well, Jeanne, so nice to see you again," he smiled.

"Save it, Magneto. You hurt Scott, so now you're going to pay." Jeanne said, her eyes turning red.

Magneto stood up and brought his hands up in protest. "My dear, Cyclops got hurt by accident. The arrow was meant for that alien you have in the mansion; he just threw his body in front of the alien."

"That alien has a name," Jeanne snarled through gritted teeth, her hands curling into fists. When Scott wasn't with her, it was hard to control her temper, and when her temper blew, anything could happen.

"Ahhh, yes, I know. Jake, isn't it? What does he do again? For someone so little, he can do us great service." Magneto smiled as he moved towards Jeanne.

"Stay away from me. You're not getting your hands on him."

Magneto gave a hearty laugh. This woman was just amazing to him. "You really think that you can stop me from getting Jake? You are sorely mistaken, my dear."

"He's done nothing to you."

"He doesn't have to. Just being here makes him vulnerable. Once the word gets out that there is a true alien on Earth, everyone from the President to the UFO searchers will be after him, and neither you, Cyclops, nor Wolverine can stop them."

Jeanne turned to leave the room; the very sight of the man was making her sick to her stomach. She couldn't get out of there fast enough as her mind went to Scott.

oOo

Back at the mansion, Scott had drifted off to sleep, thanks to the pain medication. Logan had gone to join Rogue and Jake, helping Rogue teach Jake to speak more English. The lad was getting better and saying words that even Logan had trouble saying, and it made him think that Jake had been spending time with Hank.

Rogue looked over at Logan. "We're going to have to take him over to the training room to test his powers," she said.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "How we gonna test 'im? Find out what kind of things he can change into?"

Rogue made a face at him. "Funny, sugar, but no. We need to see how he can handle things in an emergency."

Logan sighed. "As in, Magneto."

Rogue nodded as the two of them turned toward Jake, who was busy reading _A Tale of two Cities."_

Once again, Logan raised an eyebrow. _"Tale of Two Cities,_ Rogue?"

Rogue shrugged. "Better than comics."

Logan grinned. "Good reason."

Suddenly, they heard a scream from the infirmary. "Stay here with Jake!" Logan snapped and ran out of the room.

He dashed toward the infirmary; once there, he forced the door's open. Scott was thrashing about as if he were trying to fight someone off. Logan went over to his friend and tried to hold the other mutant down. "_Storm!"_

Ororo quickly arrived.  
_"Nooo!_ Let me go! I've got to get to him!" Scott shouted.

After shaking Scott a few times, Logan was finally able to wake the man. "You were screamin, Oneeye," the feral told him. Must've been a nightmare."

Scott breathed a heavy sigh and relaxed, trying to catch his breath.

"It was. I saw Jeanne talking to Magneto."

'Oh, no," Logan groaned.

"I don't like this, Wolfie." Scott sighed. He didn't like what he was feeling, not at all.

At that moment, Jeanne came in. She hurried over to Scott and he could see the pain in her eyes. "Jeanne!" he cried out, relieved to see that she was all right.

"Oh, Scott..." tears began to run down her cheeks as she lowered her head onto his chest.

He wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and felt her shake. "It's all right, Jeanne. It's okay," he whispered, giving Logan a _look._

Getting the picture, Logan turned and left. As much as it pained him, he knew he had to leave the two lovebirds alone. But he was tired of teaching Jake, so he went to the fitness room and started to work his anger out on the machines.

oOo

Scott healed nicely over the next few days. As he did so, he watched Logan and Rogue work with Jake in the training room, with Xavier by his side.

One one occasion, after a hard day of the training, Logan decided to give Jake a treat and got out a chocolate bar.

"What's that?" Jake asked.  
"You mean you've never had one?" Logan grinned.

Jake shook his head, eyeing the treat.

Logan unwrapped the bar and handed it to him. The boy took one bite, then gave Logan a frightening look.

"What? What's going on?"

"I don't know," came the response. "I feel funny." Then he starting changing into all different shapes, sizes, people and animals, all at blinding speed.

"Jake! Stop!" Logan cried.

_"I can't!"_

Scott, Jeanne, Rogue, and Xavier heard the commotion and came running in. "What the hell did you do to him?" Scott demanded.

Logan held up his hands in protest. "All I did was give him some chocolate! I swear!"

Rogue shook her head. "Well, sugar, I guess that's one thing we can't give 'im!"  
Scott gives her a sour look. "Ya think?" he said dryly.


	4. Chapter 4

Jake was able to get his breathing back to normal as he sat down on his bed and looked up at Logan. "Don't do that again, please?" he almost begged, body aching from all the morphing.

Logan put a hand on the alien's shoulder. "Don't worry 'bout that, kid. No more chocolate for you!"

"You can say that again," Scott remarked, then quickly shot a _look _at the other man. "Don't even _think _about it,"

Logan gave Scott an innocent look. "What?"

Storm shook her head. _Those two are impossible_, she thought as she moved towards Jake. "Don't you worry,Jake. I'm sure this won't happen agian," she said. "Right, Logan?"

Logan nodded as he popped a cigar into his mouth. "Right,"

Scott shook his head and left the room. His shoulder still ached, and he rubbed it gently.

"Shoulder still botherin ya, Cyke?" Logan's voice came from behind.

"A little. Nothing to worry about. I sure wish Hank would give me the go-ahead," Scott sighed.

"He's just..."

"I know, I know. Doing what's best for me. But it's _killing _me, Wolfie! I need to be out there doing _something!"_

Logan heard the frustration in the younger man's voice and understood all to well what he was saying. "We can't take any chances; you know that. The next time I leave.."

Scott eyed the man. "The next time you leave? You're going away again?"

Logan shrugged. "Maybe. It all depends on how things go with Jake."

Suddenly, the beeper went off on Scott's suit. "Scott, I'd like you and Logan to come to my office. Pronto,"

"We'll be right there, Professor." Scott answered... The two mutants walked down the hall to the well-organized room of the professor. It was large. It had to be, since he taught some of his classes there; in fact, he already had the chairs out for the second one that day.

Logan chose a chair in the middle of the first row, and Scott sat quietly next to him. Logan figured the kid had something on his mind, and it wasn't Jake.

Xavier had had his wheelchair facing the window; now he turned around so he could face the two men. He sighed, for he knew that they had grown close to Jake and would take this hard. "How is Jake doing?" he started the meeting.

"He's doing fine, sir. Getting better all the time," Scott answered quietly.

"That's good. Has he said anything about his homeworld? Or his parents?"

Logan shook his head. "No, he hasn't. What's going on, Professor?"

"There is a disturbance in the city; it appears that a ship is trying to find its way to Jake. I'm not sure if it's really his parents or not, so I would like both of you to check it out."

"Why us, Professor? Can't Bobby and Kit go?" Scott asked.

Logan looked over at him, not able to place the tone in his voice. It was somewhat distant, hard.

The Professor looked over at Scott, also trying to read the man's tone.

"No, Scott. You two are the closest to this situation and would know how to handle it."

Logan stood up and began to pull Scott up by the arm as the man reluctantly stood up. "We'll do our best, sir," he sighed and headed out of the room, taking Scott with him. Once in the hallway, he muttered, "What's wrong with you, Cyke?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong with me."

Logan turned to face him. They were so close, their noses almost touched.  
"The hell there isn't. You've been acting weird ever since we got to the office, so spill it."

Scott sighed. He hadn't told anyone that something had happened to him after he had been shot with that arrow, and he really hadn't wanted to.

"Out with it, Scotty," Logan hissed, his hands on the mutant's arms.

Scott winced at the touch of Logan's hand on his sore arm. "All right, all right. Ever since I was shot by that arrow..." He trailed off uncertainly.

"Yeah?" Logan pressured.

"I've been able to understand Jake. Right when I woke up and Jake was talking to me. I just don't understand what's going on, and I haven't been sure if I could explain it to anyone."

"You're doing just fine now, kid. Do you think it had something to do with the arrows?"

"I'm sure of it. I couldn't understand Jake before then."

"I hope Hank hadn't discarded it. When we get back, I'd like them examined."

Scott nodded in agreement and they went to the Blue Hawk.

oOo  
As they neared the city, they spotted the commotion. The ship was tearing the city apart, apparently looking for Jake. Logan looked over at Scott, who was concentrating on his flying. "Since you can understand Jake, you think you can understand and talk to his parents?" his asked.

"I don't know, Logan. I'm sure I can understand them, but 'talk' to them? We'll have to see once we get to that point,"

Scott expertly landed the Blue Hawk and they emerged from the ship.

The turbulence from the bigger ship was strong and almost lifted the muntants off the ground. "Logan!" Scott called above the howling wind.

"I'm on it!" Logan whipped out his claws and jumped to the hovering ship. His claws dug into the metal, and he used all his power to bring the ship down, without success. "Scott,I'm having a problem up here!" he shouted.

"Got it!" Scott set his glasses on stun, aimed at the ship, and fired. A second bolt brought the ship down.

Logan detatched himself and landed in front of Scott.

"Have a nice landing?" Scott quipped.

"A little bumpy," Logan shot back as he stood up with Scott's help.

The door of the ship opened, and two tall green aliens came walking out.

"Can't be Jake's parents. They're too tall," Logan whispered.

Scott grinned. "Be ready for anything,"

"Right."

The taller one said something and Scott listened.

"He's asking where Jake is,"he told Logan.

"Well, try saying something in their language, Cyke."

Scott opened his mouth and began to speak while Logan listened in amazement at the alien speech that came out.

Suddenly, the taller alien shot a blue bolt at Scott, who fell to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Logan blurted as he whipped out his claws.

Without another word, the two aliens went back into the ship, and it started to take off as Logan went to Scott.

"You okay?" Logan asked, helping the younger man up.

"Yeah. A little woozy is all," came the answere.

"You sure know how to make friends, kid. What did they say?"

"Just wanted to know where Jake was. I told them we weren't going to let them take him unless we were sure they were friendly."

Logan sighed. "I guess they didn't listen to ya."

"We'd better get back to the school pronto."

The two boarded the plane and took off.


	5. Chapter 5

Scott landed the Blue Hawk just as the big ship left the building.

He and Logan ran into the school, not knowing what they would find.

Kitty ran into Logan's arms.

"They just took him, Logan. No word, nothing! They just took him and Jake went willingly!" she cried.

Scott looked over at Jeanne, who nodded. Tears were in her eyes and he went over to her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"They came in, said a few words to Jake and took him. Jake said absolutely nothing, Scott. He _did _look over at us as if to say it's all right, though I did happen to feel some sense of fear in Jake."

"Why didn't any of you do anything to stop them?" Logan hissed, his anger boiling inside him.

"Logan, we couldn't. They threatened that we would never see him again if we did." Storm said.

"We _still _ might not," Scott muttered.

"Cyke is right. We don't know how far Jake's home world is or if he _will _come back."

Scott glared over at Logan, wanting to say something snide, but didn't. He kept his tongue, not really wanting to get into it with the Wolverine. After all, the feral had just lost someone who might have been a son to him, someone he could love that didn't involve Jeanne.

**ONE YEAR LATER**

It was a hard day at the mansion. A group was gathering on the grounds and no one noticed how pretty the sky was or the birds singing in the trees.

A lone man stood on the balcony to watch the ceramony.

The next day, it was storming out as the X-Men ate their dinner.

A tall man stood outside the mansion in front of the door, contemplating weather to just to walk in or ring the doorbell. Thunder sounded, and he looked up to watch the lightning brighten the sky. Jake had always admired the wonders of these people's God, especially the thunder, which he loved.  
Of course, right now he was soaking wet, and his hair was matted to his head.

He decided to ring the bell.

"Who in tarnation would come at this hour, and in this storm?" Ororo muttered.

Scott looked over at her. "You could clear it up,"

"It's nature's doing, Scott, not mine."

The doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it!" Kitty jumped up from her chair, happy to get away from the doom and gloom. She ran to the door and opened it, her face lighting up as she immediately recognized the visitor. "Jake! Oh, Jake, it's so good to see you!" she cried out, wrapping her arms around him. Only then did she realize how tall the alien had become.

"Nice to see you, too, Kitty," Jake smiled.

"I've _got _to tell the others!" she said and closed the door.

A startled Jake stood there, surprised that she had done such a thing.

The others at the table looked up to see an excited Kitty, pointing wildly at the door. "Jake! Jake is back and..." she stopped, her face turning beet-red. "Oh, my. Jake's back and I closed the door on him!!!" She whirled and tore back towards the door, with the others trailing close behind her. She opened the door once more, to face a bewildered alien.

"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry!" she cried out.

"It's okay,Kitty. At last you didn't break my nose!" he chuckled.

Kitty giggled.

"Uh, can I come in, Kitty? I'm kinda wet if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, sorry!" she moved aside to let him pass; as she did so, she discovered that the others had followed her.

"Jake!" cried out Rogue. She went to him and gave him a hug. "My, you've grown!" she smiled.

"Yeah, the years do that to a person."

Everyone greeted him with a hug, though he sensed there was something not right. The mood in the air was thick and hard.

"Well, I'll be...." Logan said when he saw Jake.

His boy was tall, perhaps taller than Scott and his green eyes weren't as big as they once had been. As a matter of fact, they looked almost human-sized.

Jake smiled. "Logan." he went to the man and extended his hand.

"I ain't shakin the hand of my boy!" the mutant said and ran to jump into Jake's arms.

Happy to do it, Jake wrapped his arms around Logan and gave him a big squeeze. Then he saw Scott. "Scott," he said.

"Jake." Scott simply nodded, his frame locked in the doorway.

The alien went to the man and gave him a hug. He felt something in Scott, something strong. Something _not right. _ "Where's Jeanne? I'd like to say hello to her," he said.

Without another word, Scott turned and went into the room.

Jake turned to face the others. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Sweetheart. It's just that Jeanne and the Professor died over a year ago," Storm told him.

"Oh, no.."

Jake went over to Scott and turned the man to face him. He could clearly see tears flowing down his face. Pain twisted the mutant's features as Jake hugged him once again.

Scott finally let go, his tears coming in buckets, his body shaking in agony.

Jake looked squarely into the glasses. "Tell me what happened," he said, his voice firm.

"No," came the harsh answer.

"Then I'll get it some other way." Jake lifted his fingers and put them on Scott's temples. He closed his eyes and focused.

In his mind's eye, he saw the death of Jeanne Grey. The battered ship, the water that was about to engualf it.

"_Stop!" _Scott cried angrily.

Jake pulled his hands away, sudden pain shooting through his brain. So much pain, so much anger, all coming at once. He screamed, clutching his head.

Scott's attention went to the young man, whose pain was clearly in his eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Logan asked, going to the alien.

"The pain..so intense! I can't take it!" Jake cried out.


	6. Chapter 6

Bobby and Logan led Jake outside the mansion. After a while, Jake's breathing became normal, and his body relaxed.

"What the heck was all that about?" Bobby asked.

"It's a new power I just acquired. I'm not used to it yet, and I'm not sure I really like it," Jake straightened his back and stood to his full height of six feet.

Logan looked up at him. "I don't blame ya for not liking _that _power. I wouldn't want it, either."

Bobby nodded in agreement. "Me, either!"

Jake leaned on the post and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry if I made Scott upset."

Bobby put a firm hand on the alien's shoulder. "Hey, you didn't know."

"Yeah, don't beat yerself up." Logan said.

Jake could tell Logan wanted to say something more.

"What is it, Logan?"

Logan sighed. "I can't call ya kid any more,"

"I'll _always_ be your kid, Logan." Jake smiled.

"How old are you, anyway, Jake?" Bobby wanted to know. He hadn't met Jake when the first time he'd been there, so he didn't know much about the young alien.

"Well, on your world I'm twenty. But on my planet, I'm more like two hundred."

Bobby gasped. "Wow! You're older than Logan!"

Logan shot a warning look at Iceman. "Watch it," he growled.

Bobby grinned. "Just telling the truth, Wolfie."

Logan got close to Bobby and hissed, "No one calls me that but Scott, you got that?"

"Sure, Logan, whatever you say," Bobby said placatingly.

Scott emerged from the mansion and went to Jake. "I'm sorry, Jake. I didn't mean to react like that," came the apology.

"No need to apolpgize, Scott. Loosing someone like Jeanne must have been very painful."

"It was...and still is," Scott said quietly.

"How tall are you?" Scott asked, looking up at Jake.

The young alien smiled. "I gather around seven feet, give or take a few."

Bobby whistled. "You can be on our basketball team!"

Jake chuckeld. "No offense, Bobby, but I don't particularly enjoy sports. Watching, perhaps, but not playing."

"None taken," Bobby replied with a grin.

Logan leaned next to Scott, who could almost smell the engine oil on the feral.  
"You've been on my bike again, haven't you?" he hissed.

"How can you tell, One-Eye?" Logan grinned.

"If you've hurt her..."

Logan kept his grin and smirked, "It's a 'her'?"

"Will you two knock it off? Jake's back!" Bobby muttered, then looked up at the alien. "Sorry. They get this way sometimes,"

Jake nodded. "It's okay. I'll get used to it again." So saying, he looked over at his two mentors. "That is, _if_ you'll have me,"

Logan shot a look at the young man. "What's this _if_ business, Jake? You're always welcome!"

Jake crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "There is something I must tell you, and I'm not sure how either of you will take it," he sighed. "Where do you think you're going?" he added to Bobby, who had started for the door.

"I thought this was just for Logan and Scott," Bobby told him, half-questioningly.

"No. I want you to hear this, too. I want us to be friends, Bobby, and I don't want to keep secrets from you."

"Okay," Bobby went back to the little group, preparing himself for anything.

"It's nothing really major. It's just that..." Jake sighed again.

"What, kid?" Logan pressured. He knew something was weighing on Jake's mind.

"On my homeworld, I'm a prince. And I _don't _want to rule."

"You? A prince?" Logan would have laughed if Scott hadn't elbowed him in the ribs.

"Why don't you want to rule?" Scott asked, curisoity getting the better of him.

"I just don't want the pressure. I've stood by my father's side during the last half dozen years..."

Logan held up his hands. "Wait a sec. It's only been a couple of months since you were here. How could it be years?"

"On my world, time expands, Logan. Faster than the time here. That's why I'm two hundred years old."

'If I were to go to your world, would I..." Bobby started.

Jake shook his head. "No. You would not survive a day on my world. The the sun is too hot and bright."

"Okay, let's get back to why you don't want to rule your world," Scott said.

Jake sighed. "My father wanted me to marry this woman to cement an alliance. We wouldn't have any affection towards each other; it would be a marriage in name only."

"Yeah, I could see why you wouldn't want to stay," Logan commiserated.

"Well, my father may send an army after me, Logan."

"In other words, the two of you had a fight again."

Jake nodded. "We've had our fights over the years, but it's gotten worse. I've tried to show them the way of this world, but he wouldn't have any of it. He didn't like music, laughter, or anything of the sort."

"Sounds like a real jerk."

"Logan," Scott groaned.

"I'm just sayin'," Logan answered the other man defensively.

"It's okay, Scott. He _is _a jerk _and _an idiot. I don't like saying that about my father, but it's the truth."

"Those two aliens that came to take you back home - were they your parents?"

"Yes - well, one of them was. The tall one was my father; the shorter one was a guard."

Logan chuckled. "A small guy as a bodyguard?"

Jake had to laugh at that remark. "Don't let size fool you. On my world, size doesn't make a difference. It's what's in your heart and in your mind."

"Ho, ho, don't let Kitty hear you say that!" Bobby laughed.

"Why's that?"

"Kitty is very sentimental."

Jake shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with that, Bobby."

"Do you think you could make it inside? I'm pretty sure the emotion has died down a bit," Logan said.

"Yeah, I think it's okay now. The emotion was just so strong! I've never felt anything like that before."

Logan put a hand on the lad's shoulder. "We'll help you get through it, Jake."

"Thanks, Logan."

The four of them went into the house, and Jake sighed in relief. It did feel better inside now.

"Are you all right?" Storm asked.

"Yes, thank you, Storm. And, I'm here to stay, if you'll have me."

Storm smiled at him. "You're welcome here as long as you'd like to stay, Jake." She went to him and gave him a big hug. oOo  
After settling down in Jeanne's old room, Jake sat on the bed. At first he thought he could feel her presence, but he shook it off. He rolled on the bed, crossed his arms on his chest, and closed his eyes. It had been a long day, and he knew tomorrow would be even longer.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep when a knock came on the door. "Just a minute!" he called and detached himself from the ceiling. He didn't remember attaching himself there, but sometimes he would do it in his sleep. Jake scrambled to put on the clothes that Kitty had given him the night before and went to answer the door.

It was Scott. "'Morning, Jake. Ready to begin the first day?"

Jake shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

"Okay, let's go. But, first, breakfast. The professor has always made it a rule never to begin a day without eating breakfast."  
Jake walked alongside Scott, starting to feel once again the tension in the room. He felt the pain begin to build in his head, but he ignored it.

"Sit over here, Jake," Bobby called to him once they reached the dining room.

"Go ahead. I'll be over there with Logan and Ororo over there," Scott told him.  
He could tell Jake was nervous as the alien walked over to the table with Kitty, Jubilee, Bobby, and Rogue.

"Hi," Jake said.

"Good morning, Jake." Rogue smiled. _My, he's grown,_ she thought.

Jake sat between Rogue and Jubilee.

Scott sat with Logan and Ororo and looked over to see Jake now involved in deep conversation with Rogue. He smiled. No doubt Rogue was asking him a lot of questions.

"What do you think of Jake going to the Danger Room after breakfast?" Logan was asking.

"So soon? He just got here! Let the kid relax and _be _a kid, for crying out loud." Scott said.

"He has to start someday, Scotty. No time like the present." "I just don't think he's ready. You saw how shaky he was with that new power last night," Scott answered Logan.

Ororo sighed. It was entirely impossible to have these two together without an argument, especially since the death of Jeanne Grey. "It _is _logical to put Jake through some sort of test, Scott," she put in.

"See?" Logan couldn't resist crowing.

"But I think he should have someone with him, to help him learn the Danger Room," Scott compromised.

"So who's the first victim?" Logan asked, his brown eyes darting over to the youngsters' table.

"Rogue?" Scott suggested.

"No, she's too advanced and powerful. I think one of the younger three would work better," Ororo said.

"How about Bobby? They just met last night and they could lean a lot from each other," Logan suggested.

Orro looked over at Bobby and Jake, who were now laughing, no doubt at something one of the girls had said.

"I believe Bobby would be the right choice, Logan. Thank you,"

Logan shrugged. "Wasn't that hard. They seemed to hit it off pretty well last night."

"I agree. They're also pretty close in age," Scott nodded in agreement.

"On Earth, anyway," Logan muttered.

"Right."

"All right, then. After breakfast we'll announce it to the boys," Ororo concluded.

Logan chuckled as he put a cigar in his mouth.

"What's so funny?" Scott asked, shooting a look over at his rival.

"She sounded like a professor." Only after the words were out did Logan realize what he had just said.

Scott sighed. It was just like Logan to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. He got up and went over to the younger group; putting a hand each on Bobby and Jake, he told them, "I'd like the two of you to meet us at the Danger Room."

Jake's eyes went wide as he remembered what had happened the first - and last - time he had gone into that room. It had been scary, and he didn't really care to try it again.

"Don't worry, Jake, this time you won't be alone," Scott reassured him.

"Okay," Jake gave in with a sigh.

Bobby grinned at him. "It's okay, Jake. I'll be with ya," he said. "I've already been through it a couple of times."

So, after breakfast, Jake followed Bobby and Scott to the Danger Room. The tension started to build within him as they approached; Bobby noticed his fear and leaned a little closer to him. "Don't worry; it'll be okay," he whispered.

Jake nodded as they enterned the room; the door closed behind them, and the scene inside changed.

"Jake and Bobby training. Level one," a female voice said.

"Just remember, it's only training," came Scott's voice from the intercom.

The first shots were fired, and the two teens avoided them with ease. After a few rounds, Jake was finally able to feel a little more confident; he changed into a lizard and hid on one of the gun barrels. Bobby began to search for him; the small green lizard slipped behind him and changed back into Jake, who grinned and said, "Boo!"

Bobby, startled, turned and fired ice, completely covering Jake, who was able to free himself within a few moments. Bobby, now in his Iceman form, crossed his arms over his frozen chest and grinned. "_Never_ scare the Iceman," he chortled.

Jake shivered, but was also grinning. "Gotcha!"


	7. Chapter 7

The day was filled with testing for Jake. After a couple of rounds with Bobby, who had to go to classes, he had training with Rogue and Storm.

"This time," came Scott's voice, "We're going to see how you handle changing into objects at a moment's notice."

Rogue positioned herself and lifted a heavy object to throw at Jake.

Jake transformed himself into a monkey and leaped out of the way.

She threw another object, bigger and heavier. He changed into a snake and slithered away.

Rogue looked up at Scott and smiled. "He's quick, Sugah!"

"Not quick enough,"

Storm decided to make lightning blast at the young alien. His eyes wide and confused, he changed into a bird and started to fly around her.

Thinking, Storm lifted up her hands and a tornado began to form around Jake. He kept his bird image and flew out of the tornado's path.

Rogue flew towards him and grabbed him in her hands.

"Not good, Rogue!" Scott hollered through the intercom.

"Why not?"

She didn't have to wait long for an answer. Jake turned himself into a lizard. Seeing the small amphibian, startled, Rogue dropped Jake to the floor and put her hands to her side, tapping her left food. "Jake..." she groaned. He changed back into himself, crossed his arms over his chest, and smiled. "Never catch an alien lizard," he chimed. Scott chuckled. "Training is not over," said Storm, who began a huge thunderstorm. It began to pour on top of Jake and Rogue. Jake turned himself into an umbrella and shielded Rogue.

"Why, thank you, Sugah." she smiled at him.

"No problem, Rogue. I've always got you covered," he quipped.

Exhausted from the long day, Jake sat at the dinner table next to Bobby.

"It was rough, huh?" Bobby whispered.

"Rough isn't the word. I didn't have _any_ of this kind of training on my world!"

Bobby smiled. "That's 'cause those guys are tough," he nodded over to Scott, Logan, and Storm, who were sitting at another table.

"I'll say. I didn't think this day would _ever _end. When do you think they'll allow me to go to classes?" Jake dug his fork into a slab of turkey.

"Depends on whether they think you're ready or not. It's primarily up to them."

"That doesn't sound like any time soon," Jake sighed as he chewed on the juicy meat.

A moment later, Logan came over to the teens. "How would the four of you like to go to a club?" he asked.

"What kind of a club, Logan?" Kitty asked.

"Don't worry, it's a non-alcoholic club and it's got karaoke." he answered, putting her mind at ease.

"Karaoke? All _right!" _Bobby whooped.

"What's karaoke?" Jaked wanted to know, his green eyes looking up at Logan.

"Don't worry," Logan grinned at him. "You'll love it."

"Is Rogue coming with us?" Bobby asked, hoping.

Logan nodded. "Yeah. I've asked her, and she is excited about going. Maybe the two of you could even dance together," he added teasingly.

Bobby blushed at the suggestion and almost buried his face in his arms.

"You like her, Bobby?" Jake asked.

"He has a crush on her," Kitty told him.

"I do not," Bobby muttered.

"Liar. Why'd your face turn beet-red when Logan talked about her?"

That question got Bobby even more red as Kitty chuckled.

"See, Jake? He likes her," she concluded. oOo  
Two hours later, seven mutants went over to a karaoke bar called Jacob's Place. "It's a bar just for people like us," Jubilee told Jake.

"Oh," Jake said, understanding her.

The club was already crowded, but they were able to find a table big enough for all of them.

One woman was singing and not doing a very good job of it; Bobby just couldn't help but remark, "That girl is butchering that song!"

A man in his early thirties overheard him and came over. "Think you can do better?" he growled into the teen's face.

Bobby looked over at Logan and Scott.

"Go for it," Logan nodded.

Bobby got up and took over the microphone. He read the words, quite quickly, and began to sing. The song was "Old-Time Rock and Roll," which had always been one of his favorites.

"Give me some of that old-time rock and roll...The kind of music that sooooothes the soul..." he sang to the tune while people in the audience got up and danced.

Ororo smiled; it had been a long time since they had had any downtime like this. She couldn't even remember when they'd had so much fun.

Bobby finished to applause and left the stage, going to the man who had challenged him. "So, how'd I do?" he grinned.

The man just grunted and went back to his lady friend as Bobby sat back down next to Jake.

"I want to try!" Kitty said, getting up.

So, for about an hour, each mutant tried his hand at singing popular songs.

"C'mon, Jake, give it a shot," Bobby said.

Jake held up his green hand. "No, thank you. I don't know any of those songs and my voice isn't right."

"I'm sure we can find _something _ for you to sing," said Jubilee.

Orro came to his rescue and said, "If Jake does not want to sing, he does not have to, Jubilee."

She looked down at her feet. "Oh, sorry."

Jubilee felt a cool hand on hers and looked up at a smiling alien.

"It's okay, Jube. Want to dance?" he asked as a song came up.

"Sure!" they stood up and naturally, Jubilee looked like a pixie when standing next to the seven-foot Jake.

The others just sat and watched the two dance to "I Will Survive" and were amazed at how well Jake had learned some dance steps in just the few days he had been back on Earth.

Ororo looked over at Scott, who was watching the two dancers wistfully. She knew what he was thinking and put a hand on his thin shoulder.

He looked over at her. "What?"

"Care to dance?"

Scott gulped. "Sure, why not?"

Logan watched the two get up from the table and out to the dance floor. The song was a slow one and Logan could see Scott tense up as he clutched Ororo's hand and their bodies met.

For Scott the song was way too long, but the song wasn't long enough for Ororo.

Suddenly, their lips met, but just a touch broke the spell. Scott pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Scott." she said quietly, looking down at the floor.

She felt a hand on her chin that lifted her head so their eyes met.

"It's okay. Really," he told her, and they left the dance floor.

The three older mutants watched the teens dance while Logan's fingers tapped on his knee and Scott's foot tapped on the floor. One young man was doing some sort of dance that seemed somehow familiar to the feral. "I can do that," he said to Scott, who looked over at the dancer.

"Go for it," he replied.

Logan got up and started to dance; everyone else stopped to watch him move. His body was in tune to the music, almost taking over the stage. He didn't know people had stopped dancing and watched him until he had stopped. Breathing hard, he went back to the table.

"Pretty good, Wolfie," Scott said.

"Think you can best me?" Logan challenged.

"I think so," Scott got up and went to change the music. He put on some disco music and went to the center of the stage. He looked over at Logan, did a stand, and grinned.

"Smart-ass," Logan muttered under his breath.

Scott danced the spin and the slide. At the end of the song, he did a spin on his back, had his legs straight, his head resting on his arm.

"Beat that, old man." Scott mouthed.

Growling, Logan got up and put on some Irish music. He began to do clog-dancing, his feet moving a mile a minute, his hands on his hips.

Scott had sat back down with the others, his eyes never off the older mutant. He was enthralled at the way Logan's feets just moved to the music, his body straight as an arrow. No way was he going to be able to top that one, Scott thought inwardly.

The music stopped and Logan put up his hands, breathing hard. Everyone applauded as he went back to his seat.

"Top _that, _ One-Eye."

Scott held up his hand. "Sorry; think you won at that one, Logan."

Kitty chuckled. "I think _both _of you were great!"

"Thanks, kid," Logan smiled at her.

A few minutes later, Scott noticed a faraway look in Logan's eyes. It seemed painful, so Scott thought he was thinking of Jeanne. "Logan, you okay?" he asked.

"Hmmm?"

"You all right? You seem out of it."

Logan leaned over to the younger man. "I don't know, Scott. I feel kind of strange," he admitted.

That worried Scott. Logan would never admit such a thing, no matter what, so this was new. "What do you mean, strange?"

"I'm remembering someone."

"Who? Jeanne?"

Logan shook his head. "No, but it _is _a woman. I just don't know who..."

Scott got up. "C'mon," he said.

"What?"

"Come with me to the restroom."

Logan got up and followed Scott, not knowing what the other man had in mind.

They entered the restroom and Scott made sure that there was no one there.

"Okay, what's really going on, Wolfie? You don't sound like yourself." He leaned against one of the stalls and folded his arms across his chest.

Logan threw up his hands in frustration. "I'm telling you I don't know! I'm remembering this woman dying in my arms in the middle of a forest, or something. I'm sure we were lovers. If only I knew who she was!"

Scott could tell that Logan was getting more frustrated by the minute. He put a hand on the man's forarm and the blue eyes looked up at him.

"Logan, calm down. We can figure this all out..."

Logan shook his head. "No, Scott. I've got to figure it out on my own." He turned and left the room.

"Logan..." Scott called after him uselessly. "Damn it!" he ran out after him, but Logan was long gone.

Ororo caught him by the arm. "Scott, where's Logan going? What's going on?" she asked, fear in her voice.

"He remembered someone, Ororo. He doesn't know who, just a face. But I think he's starting to remember his past, and I'm not quite sure I like it."


	8. Chapter 8

Ororo and Scott gathered the kids back to Scott's convertable.

"Where's Logan? Isn't he coming?" Kitty wanted to know, glancing around.

Scott forced a smile. "He'll meet us there, Kitty. Whenever he's ready." He looks over at Ororo, who gave him a nod of approval.

That seemed to satisfy Kitty, for she climbed in the car after Bobby. * * * * * * After the kids had settled for the night, Scott met with Ororo in the Professor's old office. "I should go after him," he said, once he had sat down.

Ororo leaned against the wooden desk. "You should let h im figure this out himself, Scott. You remember what it was like when you found out you had a brother that was still alive. Imagine if you were to remember everything about your past, and it wasn't the way you thought it was."

"I know," Scott sighed. "It's just that he was there for me when Jeanne..." he couldn't finish what he wanted to say.

She gave him an understanding look. "Yes, I know, Scott. But he needs to be alone."

Scott slammed his fist against the armchair in frustration. "Damn it, I feel so helpless! I know he's going through some pain, and there's not a thing I can do to help!" * * * * * * At Riker's Island, Logan stood staring at the old ruined buildling, clenching his fists, anger boiling inside him. Imgages ran through his mind, of him running alongside....Sabertooth?!....during the war, but which one? How many wars had he been through? And had he been with Sabertooth through all of them? Just why was Sabertooth so important, anyway? And why did he hate the other mutant so much?

Looking down at the ground, he now "saw" images of the same woman he had remembered at the club. What did she mean to him? She was important, too, but in a different kind of way. Why?

Frustrated, he growled and dropped to the ground. So much had happened; so many people had lost their lives. "Why? _Why?!" _Logan shouted at the sky. * * * * *  
Scott fell silent, his mind going towards Logan. There was so much they didn't know about the older man!

"Scott,what are you thinking?" the beautiful woman in front of him asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Logan. I just wish I knew what I could do!" He stopped talking as something new occurred to him.

"What is it, Scott?"

"Oh, my God. I know where he went, but I need a confirmation." With that, he got up and left the office. Going to the kids' dormitory section, he tapped on Kitty's door, knowing she would be trying to sleep right now.

"Who is it?" came the groggy answer.

"Kitty, it's Scott. Listen, I know it's late, but I need your help."

He heared grumbling and Kitty rustling around. A moment later, she opened the door and looked up at her teacher. "Is everything okay, Mr. Summers?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Listen, I know you can sense where people are, like Jeanne did. Could you possibly find Logan?"

"I'll try." She closed her eyes, put her fingers to her temples, and concetrated. A few minutes later, her eyes opened, and she said, "He's at a ruined building, and he's alone."

Scott nodded and he turned to leave, but she grabbed him by the arm. "Mr. Summers, he won't be alone for long," she told him. Scott nodded and he turned to leave, but she grabbed him by the arm. "Mr. Summers, he won't be alone for long," she told him. "Do you know who will be with him?"

She shook her dark head. "No, but it's a very dark presence."

"Thanks, Kitty."

"Mr. Summers, please be careful."

"I will,"

Scott went to the Blue Hawk, where Storm met him. "Get off the ship, Storm," he told her as he made the adjustments, not even looking up at her.

"You should not be alone with him, especially if someone else will be there."

"Look, I'm gonna help him through this. He can't do this alone, no matter how tough he thinks he is. You need to stay with the students, if anything should happen to us."

Ororo put a hand on her long-time friend's shoulder. "Understood. Be careful, Scott."

Scott just nodded and heard the woman leave the ship. Sighing, he got the ship to ermerge from the school and began to fly to Riker's Island. It was quiet in the ship and Scott had time to think about what he would do once he got to the island...which wasn't much. He knew all he could do was be there for the man, the man who had been there for him when he'd needed a friend; he intended to do the same.

oOo Logan walked into the ruined building. He looked around, things begining to look familiar to him, and more images began to play in his mind. Then he smelled a very unwelcome scent: Sabertooth. With a growl, he bared his claws. "Come on out, Sabertooth. I know you're here;"

"My, my. Do we have a temper?" came the answer behind him.

Logan whirled to face his foe. The other mutant was taller as well as bigger than Logan, but that did not matter to the feral. "Give it up, Bub. You wanna fight? Let's fight!"

Within minutes, the two enemies were at it, throwing each other, throwing things at each other.

Sabertooth eventually managed to pin him down. "You're beginning to remember, aren't you, Jimmy?" he hissed.

"How do you know my real name?" Logan grunted, struggling under the enormous beast.

"I know more about you than you would like, Jimmy. I'm your brother."

Logan blinked at the news. That was totally unexpected and not what he wanted to hear.

"How is that possible? How..."

His memory whirled back, back to the murder of his father, when he'd been told that the father he'd loved had not been his real father.

_"Noooooo!" _Logan screamed, using all his strength to push Sabortooth off himself. He jumped to his feet, claws flashing. "You're a lying son of a---"

"Logan!" Scott's voice came from the enterance and he saw a red beam hit Sabertooth, who was thrown to the wall.

Without another word, Logan went over to Sabertooth.

"Better get out of here, Bub, before we kill ya." he hissed in his brother's face.

Sabertooth got up groggily. As he stumbled by Scott, he gave Cyclops a glare.

Once they were alone, Logan went over to his friend. "I told you I wanted to be alone," he snarled.

Scott shrugged. "Do I ever listen to you?"

Logan's snarling countenance vanished in a grin. "Good point," he acknowledged. Then, with no warning, he fell against the wall and slid down to his knees. "I'm a freak, Scott," he said.

Shocked at hearing this, Scott walked over to him and sat down on the floor next to him. "No, Logan. You're one of us."

Logan shook his head. "I'm an old freak, Scott. A _very _old freak."

Scott forced a smile. "Hey, you were always older than me, so that's not news."

"I'm serious, Scott. I don't know how old I am, but I'm older than I should be."

"You may not want to know. Besides, why would you? Just remember, you're _not _a freak, and I'm sure Jake would say the same thing."

At the sound of that name, Logan looked at Cyclops. He couldn't see the man's eyes, but he knew the emotion that was in there. "Jake. How is he?"

"He's with the others and doesn't know what's going on. The only ones who do know are Storm and Kitty, and I'll keep it that way, unless you decide otherwise."

Logan shook his head. "No. I don't want them to know anything until I figure this all out. Scott, there is so much I don't know about my life, so many questions left unanswered."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, I know. But you shouldn't have to do this alone. You've got friends who care about you."

Logan smiled. "Thanks, Scott."

"What do you say we get back to the mansion before the others wake up? They won't have noticed you've been gone."

Logan stood up and helped Cyclops to his feet. "I guess I could go for a nice cold beer,"

Scott chuckled. "So can I. Do we make a pit stop?"

"Sounds good, One-Eye."

Logan gazed down at the ground wistfully as the Blue Hawk rose gracefully into the sky. Questions were still unanswered, and now he had more than ever before. Later that evening, after everyone had settled down for the night, Jake learned that he would be rooming with Bobby, which suited him fine. He liked Kurt well enough, but they weren't as close. Bobby and Jake sat on their beds and looked at each other, and Jake noticed a funny look on Bobby's face. "Okay,what's wrong?" he asked with a sigh. "Why?""You've got a weird expression on your face," "You're starting to smell like Toad,""Who's Toad?" Bobby chuckled. "Oh, you mean you haven't met Toad yet? Once you do, believe me, you won't forget him! Just take a shower...please?" Jake had to laugh. "Okay, I'll take a shower." Thankfully, he remembered where the bathroom was and found it with no with everything else, the bathroom had changed. The shower and bathtub were both a lot larger than he remembered. He grinned...his sister would love this room!The warm water felt incredible as it hit the top of his head. He looked and noticed some buttons he hadn't seen before; and he decided to try them out. Jake let out a cry and changed into a small bird; he fluttered about and flew in front of Bobby, who was laughing uncontrolably. "It's not funny, Bobby!" Jake chirped. "Sorry," Bobby said between fits of laughter. "But if you could see yourself right now..." Jake changed back to his own form and dried himself off, then put on the clothes that Kitty had brought him earlier. When he was done, he walked with Bobby, quietly thinking of a way to get back at his new friend. Chances for fun like this just didn't come very often back home, and he intended to enjoy every minute of his time here. When they got to the dining hall, Jake sat between Bobby and Kurt; Rogue and Kitty were sitting across from them. Who's Toad?" Jake asked without preamble. Kitty just about choked on her hamburger. "You told him about Toad?" "Not everything," Bobby said. "He just said I smelled like him and needed a shower;" Jake explained. Everyone laughed, which brought a strange look to Jake's face.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning Jake beat Bobby to the shower. He was ready for the four-headed shower this time and intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

He turned on the overhead, then the three side showers. It was certainly more enjoyable this time than the night before. Jake decided it was like being in a waterfall back home, only the water was much warmer. _Oh, Janel would LOVE this!_ he thought of his sister as he shook the water from his head.

He took the blue towel that had been hanging from the wall and dried himself, then dressed in the new clothes that Scott had brought him the day before..

He dressed in the new cloths that Scott had brought him the day before; he'd forgotten how cotton and denim felt. The pants were a little short, but he chould live with that. When he stepped out of the bathroom, Bobby was just sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes. "Sleep okay?" Jake asked, concerned.

"Yeah. Had a strange dream, though."

"How so?"

Bobby looked up with a sheepish look on his face. "_You_ were in it,"

Jake's eyes widened. "I was not!"

Bobby laughed and playfully hit Jake on the arm as he stood up. "Naw..I was just teasing ya,"

Jake chuckled as he watched his friend walk to the bathroom, then sat on his bed and picked up the big book Logan had given him the other day; he began to flip through it. It a history book, covering a period from the time he was last on Earth to now, and he became so thoroughly engrossed in it that he almost didn't hear Bobby coming back.

"Interesting?" Bobby asked as he buttoned his trousers.  
"Very," Jake nodded, not taking his eyes off the book.  
"Want me to leave?"

Jake shut the book and looked up at his friend. "No, not really. I was just thumbing through it; I can get into it later." Bobby sat back on his bed and put on his shoes. "Have you been to the mall yet?" he asked.

"'No. What's a mall?" Bobby smiled. "Don't let Kitty or Rogue hear you say that! They'll pull you into that place so quick, your head will spin! Jake shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, so what's a mall?"

"A mall, my friend, is a place were people our age like to go hang out and shop 'til you drop!" "Sounds like fun, but I think Scott and Logan want me to train..." Bobby pulled Jake up on his feet. "Forget that! We're goin' shopping!" The two friends left the room and met Kitty and Rogue at the front door.  
"So, are we ready?" Rogue asked, yanking Bobby's arm.  
Kitty shrugged as she looked up at Jake. "Guess it's you and me, kid." she smiled. Jake looked down at her and smiled back. "Hey, I can think of worse people to hang out with."  
Kitty chuckled. "You're so sweet to say that."  
"Only cuz it's true." He wrapped a protective arm around Kitty and they followed Rogue and Bobby.  
They had an awesome time at the mall. Jake kept laughing while Kitty and Rogue tried on different outfits and then watching Bobby trying on some outfits. "Okay, Jake. Your turn!" Rogue said. "No, thank you," Jake shook his head. Kitty had already gone to get some clothes for him to wear. "Sorry, you can't walk out on us." She flung the clothes at him, and he looked at Bobby for help. "Sorry, dude. I had to do it; now it's your turn!" Bobby grinned, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head.

Jake relunctantly tried on some clothes, but they had trouble finding any that fit him properly; eventually, they took him to a store for tall and big men. When they walked in, the storekeepers gave Jake such a look, it was hard for Kitty not to laugh.

"What?" Jake asked her.

"Nothing," Kitty chuckled and grabbed his arm.

"Not more..." Jake sighed.

"Just a few more, Jake. Humor me, please?" Kitty begged.

Jake sighed. "All right, for you."

She stood on her toes, and he bent down so she could give him a peck on the cheek. Then he tried on some jeans and shirts and actually bought some with the money Scott had given him earlier. Afterward, the other three agreed that it was time to go home for the rest of the day, and he was thankful for it.

On the ride home, he said, "I still want to know who Toad is,"

Kitty looked over at Rogue, who merrily shrugged. "Well, what Bobby told you last night was right. Once you've met Toad, you won't forget him. 'Course, you probably won't want to meet him, either."

Jake narrowed his green eyes. "Why's that?"

"He's bad news. Works for Magneto," Bobby told him, keeping his eyes on the road. Scott had allowed him to borrow his Stingray, and he really didn't want to damage the vehicle.

"Scott and Logan mentioned Magneto; he didn't sound too good."

"He isn't, so if you ever come across him..." Rogue began.

"Don't worry, I'll get away." Jake assured her.

"I hope you'll be able to. Magneto's pretty tricky."

The remainder of the talk on the way back was mostly about school and training. Kitty assured Jake that training would be much better, since he was older and his powers more developed.

Once they arrived at the mansion, Scott greeted them at the door, and Jake noticed a grim look on his face. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Logan's left," Scott told him, his voice tense.

"Why?"

"Logan never has a reason, Jake. Whenever it suits him, he just leaves," Rogue told him.

Scott nodded. "This time it was different, Rogue. He has questions...serious questions that he needs answers to. I wanted to go along, but he refused my help."

"He may have a reason for that," Rogue said quietly.

Scott nodded. The young woman was right. Somehow Rogue knew Logan better than anyone; perhaps it was because she and Logan had arrived at the school together. Or perhaps it was because she'd drawn his power to heal herself....it could be many reasons. It didn't matter. Scott just knew Rogue really cared for Logan.

"I wish I could help him," Jake broke the silence.

"He wouldn't have wanted you to, Jake. He likes to face things alone, in his own time." Scott told his young student.

"But, still..." Jake looked down at the ground and Scott put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Jake. Logan knows you care."

Jake looked toward Scott's eyes, though he really couldn't see them through the sunglasses. Jake wished he could see them and what they did. There was so much he wanted to know, to learn.

Jake went to his room and picked up the book. As he opened it, a note fell out; He picked it up and opened it.

_Jake...I hope you understand. I had to leave for awhile, but I will be back, trust me. I leave you in Scott's trusted hands. I do hope to come back at some point, to help you further your training, but I've got some work to do, people I have to see. And I hope by the time I get everything worked out I'll be better off and will be able to help you more. But right now that is out of the question.___

_hopefully your father,__  
__Logan__  
_  
Jake had to fight tears; he gulped them back as he heard the door to the room open and close.

"Everything okay?" Bobby asked.

He quickly folded the letter and put it under his pillow. That was for him and him alone. "Yeah, everything's fine." he said, angrily brushing a tear away...


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay, so _who's _Toad?" Jake repeated as he forked a fish filet.

"Like Bobby said, Jake, it's easier for you to meet him rather than explain him," Rogue offered.

"Okay," Jake sighed. "Is he an X-man?"

Kitty just about choked. "Heavens no! He'd never be an X-man! Not Toad!"

Bobby put a hand on Kitty's shoulder. "Calm down, Kitty."

"He's that bad?" Jake asked.

Bobby made a face. "Let's just say that Toad's a character. You'll meet him at the school today."

"School? Isn't it supper time?"

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, but there's a football game, and one of the kids is on the team. We go to suport him."

Jake nodded, fully understanding about support. "What's a football?"

"Oh, my word, Jake! You don't know about football?" gasped Kitty.

"Nope," Jake shrugged. He figured it was a game and must be a lot of fun fun if Kitty seemed to like it.

"Oh, he just _has _to go with us, Bobby!"

"I can, unless Scott and Logan have more training for me,"

"Ugh...those two are putting you through the wringer!"

Jake had to agree with Rogue. They had been working him rather hard the last few days, and he secretly hoped Logan would allow him to go.

000

When Jake went into Scott's office, he was not prepared to see Logan standing there talking to his mentor.

"Logan!" Jake cried out and ran into the ferel's arms.

"Hiya, Kid." Logan forced a smile.

"What are you doing back? Did you get the answers you needed?"

Logan looked over at Scott. "You told them?"

"I didn't have any alternative, Logan. But I didn't tell them everything."

Logan gave him a concerned look and Scott shrugged.

"You didn't tell me I couldn't, and I didn't see any reason why I shouldn't."

"Why didn't you want us to know, Logan?" Jake asked, looking down at his earth father.

"We'll discuss this later, kid. Right now I want to know why you came to see Scott."

Jake asked about the football game, and Logan shook his head uncertainly. "I don't know, kid," he said.

"Oh, c'mon, Logan! You've been working me to death the last couple of days! I need to do _something_!"

Logan looked over at Scott, who had been silent through the whole deal. He knew Scott was apprehensive about letting Jake out in public. Sure, they went to the country club for a little R&R, but this was different. Jake would be around 'normals,' who didn't like mutants, and Logan wasn't sure how the they would react to an honest-to-goodness alien with multiple powers.

"Scott?" he finally asked.

The tall thin man sitting at the desk propped his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his hands. "Who will you be going with?" Scott wanted to know.

"Kitty, Bobby, and Rogue. I'm sure others are going, just not sure who."

"Hmmmm. To be honest, I'm a little uneasy about letting you go," Scott sighed. He straightened his back against the leather chair and looked into the green eyes. He knew Jake was aching to go out with other people his age and that he felt like a caged animal cooped up in the mansion all the time. "Well, all right. As long as you stay close to them, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to go," he finally said.

"Thank you, Scott!" Jake squealed. He changed into a cat, leaped onto Scott's table and began to lick the mutant's face.

"Okay, okay! You've thanked me enough! Now, go thank Logan!" Scott chuckled, trying to get away from the sandpapery kisses.

"No..." Logan muttered, but too late. Jake sprung unto Logan's chest and dug his claws into the man's chest. He began licking his face and felt the strong hands holding him. This feeling of love was much stronger than he had perceived when he had first arrived. He felt comfortable; he felt safe. Safe...was that the word?

Finally, Logan put Jake down to the wooden floor, and the alien changed back into his original form.

Someone knocked at the door; when Scott opened it, he was not surprised to see Bobby there.

"So? Is the answer yes?" the teenager wanted to know.

Scott smiled. "It is."

"_All right!"_

Logan held up his hand. "_But..." _he cautioned.

"Uh, oh." Bobby sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. He hated it when Logan did this.

"Jake will have to stay close to you and the others. Don't let him outta yer sight, not even for a minute. People will already know that he's not from around here, let alone that he's not human. And once they figure out he's got powers, well...."

Bobby nodded. "We've been talking it over. He'll be well taken care of, Logan."

"Do we have that in writing?" Scott asked, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Bobby grinned at the older mutant and looked up at Jake. "Well, my man, looks like we're goin' to a football game!" he said.

"Cool!" Jake grinned back.

Bobby chuckled. "You've been hanging out with Kurt," he said, mock-accusingly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Uh…yeah," he said, drawing out the word, then assured his friend, "It's okay, as long as you use the language right."

"You guys better go before I change my mind," Scott warned them.

Bobby grabbed Jake by the arm. "C'mon! We don't want these two to spoil our fun!"

Almost within a flash, Logan and Scott saw the two younger mutants leave the room. Okay, make that one mutant, and one alien.

0000

Later at the game, Jake was in awe at the number of people there. It was noisy, and the band was playing songs Jake had never heard.

"Have you ever a had hot dog?" Kitty asked him.

"A hot dog?"

"Then the answer is no. I'll be right back." She disappeared into the crowd.

Jake looked over worriedly at Bobby. "Won't she get lost?"

"Trust me, she'll find us."

Jake felt uneasy. He knew people were eyeing them, and not because he was so tall. It was because he was green. Green with red hair.

He was beginning to pick up feelings. Anger, fright, even hurt. It was almost overwhelming. If it weren't for the fact that they were outside, he'd go nuts.

Kitty came back with an armload of hot dogs and drinks.

Jake eyed the hot dog in his hand. "Which end do I eat it from?" he asked.

The small woman laughed. "It doesn't matter, Jake. Pick one; either end is fine."

Jake allowed the flavor of the dog to work through his mouth. The taste of the sourkraut was a little strange to him, but he decided he liked it.

"Hiya, guys!" a squeaky voice startled him, and he looked down. He was facing a younger man who was just as green as he was, but this one's eyes were kind of a yellow-white color, and Jake was picking up some sort of odor. _This must be Toad_, Jake thought.

"Toad, would you please stop creeping up on people?" Kitty groaned, stepping closer to Jake.

Sensing her annoyance and uneasiness, Jake put his long arm around her protectively.

"Sorry, toots, but I couldn't help but noticing there was someone here who was just like me," Toad replied, looking up at Jake.

"Jake's nothing like you, so get that out of your cotton-picking mind!" Kitty said angrily.

"Kitty," Bobby said with warning in his voice.

"Well, he's not!" Kitty said defensively.

"Hey! The game's about to start!" Kurt said, stopping the argument.

Jake was thankful that Kurt had stopped the escalation. His head was beginning to ache from all the anger.

The game lasted nearly two hours, and Jake enjoyed himself. Though Kitty, Bobby, and Rogue had gone off somewhere, Kurt had stayed with him to offer explanations of what was going on. Every so often, Kurt would take him to the front row near the bench so he could see the game better. After the last such move, they returned to their seats just before the other three came back. Jake had wanted to changed into a bird, to fly out and hover around the whole game but decided to keep a low key. He knew that people would not have freaked out over a green bird; he had seen a few like that since he'd been back.

"So, you enjoying the game?" Bobby asked as he sat down next to his friend.

"Very much!" Jake accepted his third hot dog of the day and took a huge bite of it. He didn't tell his new friend about Kurt's way of showing him the game. He wanted to keep that secret between them, and them alone.

After the game, they went to an eatery. Jake sat in between Kitty and Rogue, and Bobby sat with Kurt.

"So, what kind of food do you eat, freak?" someone asked behind Bobby.

Bobby's blood boiled when he recognized the voice. "Vance, leave it alone," he snarled.

"Shut up, Bobby. You're just as much a freak as he is, only you're human. At least I _think _you're human."

Bobby got up and turned to face the blond teenager. This was what Scott had been afraid of. "At least he's got feelings!" Bobby growled, clenching his fists.

"Bobby, please..." Jake groaned, starting to feel the emotion. He gritted his teeth as his own anger began to bubble inside him.

"Oh, I'm so scared." Vance mocked, only to cut off when he felt himself rising toward the ceiling. "Hey! What's going on!?" he cried out as all attention turned towards them.

Bobby looked at Jake to find him with closed eyes and knew his friend was the culprit.

"Jake, it's okay." Kitty said, putting a hand on the alien's arm. She could feel his tension.

"You better behave, Vance. I don't know what he'll do while you're up there," Rogue said.

"Put…put me down!"

"Jake..." Bobby said and was relieved when Jake opened his yellow eyes. "Let him go, Jake."

Relunctantly, Jake gently lowered Vance to the floor.

"You're all freaks!" Vance growled and left the building with his cronies.

Jake relaxed and looked over at Bobby. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," he said.

"It's okay, Jake. I wish I could have done it!" Rogue said, patting him on the back.

A man came over. "I'd like you four to get out, please. We don't need any more trouble."

"But..." Jake began, but Kitty hushed him.

"Don't worry, sir, we're going." Kitty told the man and they left the diner gladly.


	11. Chapter 11

Logan was waiting for them when they got back to the mansion. "How was the game?" he asked, pulling Bobby aside.

Bobby could scarcely look at him. "It was fine."

"Okay, kid, spill it. What happened?" Logan demanded; he could smell the frustration on Bobby.

"It really wasn't his fault, Logan. He couldn't help it," Bobby said as Logan moved him to the office.

"What do you mean, 'it wasn't his fault'?"

"Jake."

Logan crossed his arms over his chest, knowing that he wasn't going to like what Bobby was about to tell him.

Jake lay on his bed, trying to calm his nerves and overcome the pounding of his head, when he heard a knock at his door. Not bothering to open his eyes, he moaned, "Come in,"

"Heard ya had a rough night," came Logan's voice.

"You heard, huh?" Jake sighed, sitting up slowly.

"Yeah, I heard. Bobby told me."

"I couldn't help it, Logan. It just happened. I'm sorry."

Logan sat next to Jake and smiled. "Well, from what I understand Vance had it coming to him. I also heard you resisted throwing the guy. I'm proud of ya, kid."

"How can you be? I pretty much had us all thrown out of the diner," Jake protested.

"Kid, let me tell you something: We're always gonna be thrown out of places, no matter how hard we try to fit in. We're always gonna be shunned by the normal people; we can't stop that from happenin'."

"Why do they have to be so cruel about something we can't help?"

Logan looked at the young alien. He could tell Jake was very upset. "As long as I've been alive, I haven't figured that out myself yet. We just need to be better people then they are," he replied, forcing a smile.

"But, Logan, I'm _not _a person. I'm a thing," Jake sighed, his shoulders slouching.

"You are not a thing. You may not be human, but ya got feelings, and ya got a soul."

Jake looked over at him . "Thank you, Logan."

"For what?"

"For what you just said."

Logan patted the young alien on the shoulder. "I only tell the truth, kid." * * * * *  
Toad cheerfully hopped into the house where the other members of the Brotherhood were staying. "I know something you don't know!" he chanted as he passed each one.

"And what's that, Toad?" a blonde teenager groaned from a chair.

"I know where Magneto's alien is!"

That news immediately grabbed their interest. "Yeah? Where?" Vance wanted to know.

"At the mansion, but I ain't gonna tell you who it is!" Toad chirped.

"Jake;" Vance groaned.

"How'd you guess?"

Vance gave Toad a look. "Is it just me or are you totally stupid? The guy is _green_, Toad. Green with red hair and yellow eyes." 000\

Back at the mansion, Jake sat at the table alone. He kept thinking about the incident at the diner. His mind kept wondering about using his powers when he shouldn't have.

The visions of lifting Vance kept coming and he knocked over his glass of milk.

"Whoa, big fella! You okay?" came Scott's voice.

He glanced up to see the familiar smiling face. "Oh, sorry. I'll clean it up," Jake stood up to his full seven feet and felt Scotts hand on his arm. He looked down to the man.

"It's okay, Jake. I know you have a lot on your mind," "It's just that I know I shouldn't have used my powers on Vance, but he got me so mad, I couldn't control it." Jake gritted his teeth.

Scott nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's why I was concerned about allowing you to go to the game. You need more training to handle your powers."

Jake sighed. "But, I thought I HAD them all controlled on my home world, Scott. Except for the newer power of feelings."

"Well, it's different here on earth. Everything is different,"

Jake forced a smile. "I found that out the hard way!" Scott had to refrain from a laugh. He knew that all too well himself.

"Just keep a low profile in the mean time. Just school and mansion;"

Scott put a hand on the young alien's shoulder. He felt Jake quiver.

"I'm grounded?" Jake's yellow eyes widened.

"No, Jake. Not grounded, just cautious. Want to help you with your powers more before you go venturing any further. I also want you to have a person with you at all times,"

Jake sighed. "All right. I'm not going to like it, but what choice do I have?"

Later, Jake went to his room and found Bobby sitting on his bed, studying. "So, what happened?" Bobby asked, looking up from his book.

"Scott's not saying it, but he's grounding me."

Bobby closed his book and moaned. "I can understand why he did it. I mean, I know it wasn't your fault. But, we can't take that chance. Trust me, I know how you feel."

"Scott grounded you?"

"Some what. We all have powers that we need to control, Jake. And if or when we mess up, well..."

"You're sounding like a teacher," Jake smiled, sitting on his own bed.

"oh, yuck! Give me a break!" Bobby moaned with laughter.

Laughing whole heartedly, Jake rolled his long legs across the bed, put his arms behind his head and sighed. A knock came to the door.

"Yeah?" Bobby muttered, keeping his eyes closed. "Bobby, Logan would like to see you," came Kitty's voice.

"Okay...tell him I'll be there in a few minutes." Half of Kitty appeared through the door and she gave Bobby a firm look. "NOW, Bobby." she said.

Bobby forced himself off his comfortable bed and stood up with a sigh. "Okay, I'm going. I'm going;" He looks over at Jake. "We good?"

Jake nodded."We're good," No matter how long he'd known Bobby, or humans, he could NEVER understand their type of language.

000 Bobby reached the office and tapped on the door. "Come in," came the rough voice of the Wolverine. Gingerly, Bobby opened the door, made his way in and closed it.

"Sit down, Bobby." Logan said, without looking up.

"Sounds serious;" Bobby sighed and he sat down on the black leather chair.

"It is;" Logan's brown eyes looked up at the young mutant. "It's about Jake," Logan said, but stopped.

"What about Jake?" Bobby asked, knitting his brows.

"I want you to keep an eye on him during school. Make sure he stays with you at all times, do you understand?"

"But, why? Jake CAN take care of himself, you know." "He's still not sure of his powers, Bobby. And it seems that you alone can help him."

"I appreciate the compliment, Logan, but-" "I'd appreciate your help in this matter, Bobby. No telling what could happen while you're at school,"

Bobby nodded. "Well, considering what happened Friday at the game, I tend to agree with you. But, don't you think that Jake will feel untrusted?'

Logan sighed. "He'll feel that way, I'm sure. But, just remember to tell him that we've all been through it..." "Not you, though, Logan."

Logan stood up and went to Bobby. "Even me. Bobby. Listen, just because I have been around a lot longer than you, doesn't mean that I haven't gone through some of the things you and the others are going through. Being a mutant is hard on everyone,"

Bobby gave Logan a smile. "You sounded like the Professor," Logan grunted. "Oh, please, I'm not even close!" Bobby laughed. "Are we done?" The older mutant nodded. "We're done. Just remember to keep an on Jake, huh?"

"Will do, Logan. I won't let him out of my sight!" "Good man," Logan watched the young man leave the office, almost regretting putting Bobby through such a task. _Kid's gotta learn at some point of time_, Logan thought. 000 The next day Jake and Bobby met the others and went to the school. Jake loved most of the classes, especially when Kitty was with him. He knew something was wrong, because he could feel Bobby's sharp eyes on him.

During the walk to their last class, the voice on the intercom spoke, "Bobby Fischer, will you please come to the office?"

"Oh, great." Bobby moaned.

"Are you in trouble?" Jake asked.

"Haven't a clue, Jake."

Bobby turned to face Toad and sighed. "Toad, I need to go. Can you make sure Jake gets to the mansion all right?"

Jake moaned. "I can get there on my own, Bobby."

Bobby smiled. "I know you can, Jake. But, Logan wants to make sure you arrive in one piece."

"Sure! I can get him there a-okay!" Toad chirped.

"Sorry to do this to you, pal." Bobby said to Jake.

Jake shrugged. "That's okay, we'll be fine." _Yep, you sure will_, Toad thought.

"Okay. See you at the mansion," Jake watched his friend leave and looked down at Toad.

"Well, should we get going?" Jake sighed, juggling his books in one arm. They walked out of the school and down the street.

Jake had made conversation with Toad, so he hadn't much paid any attention to where they were going. He noticed an old broken down house in front of them and looked down at Toad.

"Where are we and what are we doing here?" he demanded.

"We're at MY house, Jake. Don't ya love it?" came the answer.

"It looks nice," Jake forced a smile. He wasn't liking what he was starting to feel.

"Come on, I'd like you to meet my family." Toad tugged at his long arm and he reluctantly followed the mutant. Once inside, Jake knew he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Welcome to the house of the Brotherhood, Jake." came the voice of the one person Jake had not want to see so soon: Vance. Vance had a smile as wide as his face.

The biggest man Jake had ever seen came up behind Vance and a pretty young blonde girl joined them. Suddenly Jake felt the same kind of pain he felt the first night he was on earth: pain. And not only that, but hatred. Hatred so strong he could almost touch it. The pain in his head was intense, he raised his hands up to his head.

"What's the matter, Jake?" Toad asked, worried.

"Too...much...pain. Too...much...hate.." Jake moaned.

"Oh, that's right! You're an impath!" Vance gasped.

"Yes, now, please, make it stop!" Jake moaned in pain, his seven foot tall frame lowering to the floor.

"No siree, this is way too much fun!" Vance said gleefully. Before he could do anything, the pain and anger were so great, Jake collapsed on the floor and fell unconscious. 000

Bobby ran all the way to the mansion, hoping that Jake would be there. Breathing hard, he go into the mansion and closed the door. Kitty met up with him. "Where's Jake?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"What? He's not here?" he gasped, looking around. "Why would I be asking if he was? Where's Jake, Bobby?" she said, getting worried. "I had to go see the principal and it took me longer than I thought, so I asked Toad to bring him here." Kitty gasped.

"Bobby, you asked **TOAD** to bring him? Are you NUTS!' "Yeah, I know, I know." The two of them started walking towards the office. Kitty stopped, putting her big brown eyes to Bobby. "You don't think Toad took him to the Brotherhood, do you?" she asked.

"Oh, man. You know, I bet he did!" With that in mind, the two started running down the hallway.


End file.
